Animal Quick Find

Tiger fur is usually coloured with black stripes on a orange base and white underbelly. White tigers are rare with dark pink noses and blue eyes. Stripeless tigers have also been recorded but are the rarest to be seen. Tigers have the largest canine teeth of any land carnivores, and they have extremely powerful jaws.

Habitat

The Bengal tiger is a large, striped cat found in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Burma. It lives in a variety of habitats, including rainforests and dense grasslands.

Diet

Tigers, as with all animals at the top of the food chain, help balance populations. When a tiger has eaten its portion, the leftovers become food for a an array of other mammals, reptiles and birds. Tigers are meat eaters (carnivores). Their prey includes small to medium sized mammals like badgers, rabbits, boars, deer and wild cattle ranging in size from 25-1000kg. Their hunting method is a slow patient stalk through cover until they are close enough for the final spring.

The usual method of killing is to ambush their prey from behind and bite its neck, killing it instantly. Approximately, only one hunt in 20 is successful. The tiger will then drag the kill to a safe place where they will consume it. Tigers can eat as much as 30-40 kilograms of meat in one sitting and can then go for days at a time without eating anything at all.

Bengal Tiger Profiles

Charlie

Charlie was born at Mogo Zoo and was brought to Australia Zoo with his two sisters, Sunita and Mika, at only four weeks of age. Together, they are the only Bengal tigers here at Australia Zoo. Charlie can be a little nervous of new things at times, but he gains a lot of confidence from the keepers. He shows a lot of affection toward both his sisters and definitely enjoys company, as we often hear him calling if he is left on his own and thinks he is missing out on something. He is the most tolerant of new cubs and loves interacting, even playing with them. It is adorable to see one of our largest tigers being so gentle and playful with our newest additions to the Tiger Temple.

Mika

Age: 10 Years (DOB 18/7/2007)

Sex: Female

Weight: 96kg (211.2lbs)

Mika came to Australia Zoo when she was only four weeks old with her brother Charlie and sister Sunita. She was born at Mogo Zoo on 18 July 2007 and was the runt of the litter.

Mika has the cutest distinctive feature, she has a kink in the end of her tail.

Mika might be the smallest of the three but she is the most active and playful, especially when it comes to playing in the pool.

Sunita

Sunita and her siblings, Charlie and Mika, are our only three Bengal Tigers here at Australia Zoo. They were born at a park in New South Wales but came to us at the age of just four weeks.

Since then, Sunita has formed a very special bond with her handlers and has come to be one of our most affectionate cats here at the Tiger Temple. She also has a great relationship with her brother and sister so you will often see the three of them hanging out together.

Sunita means "well behaved" in Hindi, and most of the time, Sunita resembles the meaning of her name; except when toys are involved-then she can become a bit of a trouble maker!

Adopt An Animal Benefits

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